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Serbian Orthodox Church

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Serbian Orthodox Church
File:Veliki-spc.jpg
LanguageChurch Slavonic and Serbian
HeadquartersBelgrade, Serbia
TerritorySerbia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia (disputed)
PossessionsUnited States, Canada, Europe, Australia
FounderApostle Andrew, St. Sava I
Independence1219 (lost in 1523), again in 1920
Recognition1219 by Constantinople
Official websiteSerbian Orthodox Church
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File:SPC-zastava.jpg
Flag of the Serbian Orthodox Church
File:SPC-SOC1.gif
Unknown flag, seen offten in public.Possible flag of Patriarsia or Patriarh itself

The Serbian Orthodox Church (Serbian: Српска Православна Црква / Srpska Pravoslavna Crkva; СПЦ / SPC) or the Church of Serbia is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia. It exercises jurisdiction over Orthodox Christians in Serbia and surrounding Slavic and other lands, as well as exarchates and patriarchal representation churches around the world. The Patriarch of Serbia serves as first among equals in his church; the current patriarch is His Holiness Pavle.

The Serb Patriarch's full title is "Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, and Patriarch of the Serbs."

History

The Serbian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous, or ecclesiastically independent, member of the Orthodox communion, located primarily in Serbia,Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Republic of Macedonia, as well as Croatia. Since many Serbs have emigrated to foreign countries, there are now Serbian Orthodox communities worldwide. Many significant items from Christianity are in the possession of the Serbian Orthodox Church,such as the right hand of John the Baptist, Saint George's hand and skull parts[1], Holy Cross segments, Paraskevi's finger, St Vasilije Ostroski ,...

Origins

The Serbs were converted to Christianity not long after their arrival in the Balkans, before the Great Schism split the Christian Church into rival Latin-speaking (Roman Catholic) and Greek-speaking (Eastern Orthodox) Churches. During the early Middle Ages, the religious allegiance of the Serbs was divided between the two churches.

The various Serbian principalities were united ecclesiastically in the early 13th century by Saint Sava, the son of the Serbian ruler and founder of the Serbian medieval state Stefan Nemanja and brother of Stefan Prvovencani, the first Serbian king. Sava persuaded the patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church to establish the Church in Serbia as an autocephalous body, with Sava himself as its archbishop, consecrated in 1219.

The status of the Serbian Orthodox Church grew along with the growth in size and prestige of the medieval kingdom of Serbia. When King Stefan Dušan assumed the imperial title of tsar in 1346, the Archbishopric of Pec was correspondingly raised to the rank of Patriarchate. In the century that followed, the Serbian Church achieved its greatest power and prestige.

In 1459, the Ottoman Empire conquered Serbia and made much of the former kingdom a pashaluk ( to Muslim faith or law. Although many Serbs did convert to Islam, most continued their adherence to the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The Church itself continued in existence throughout the Ottoman period, though not without some disruption. After the death of Patriarch Arsenios II in 1463, a successor was not elected. The Patriarchate was thus de facto abolished, and the Serbian Church passed under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Serbian Patriarchate was restored in 1557 by the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, much thanks to the famous Mehmed-paša Sokolović, when Macarios, his brother or cousin, was elected Patriarch in Peć.

'The Exodus of the Serbs', portrays the Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Arsenije III Carnojevic, surrounded by soldiers, flocks of sheep and women with babies, leading some 36,000 families from his seat in Pec, Kosovo and Southern Serbia to what is now Vojvodina and further to Hungary in 1690, after Serbian revolts failed.

The restoration of the Patriarchate was of great importance for the Serbs because it helped the spiritual unification of all Serbs in the Turkish Empire. After consequent Serbian uprisings against the Turkish occupiers in which the Church had a leading role, the Turks abolished the Patriarchate once again in 1766. The Church remained once more under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. This period of so called "Phanariots" was a period of great spiritual decline because the Greek bishops had very little understanding of their Serbian flock.

During this period, many Christians across the Balkans converted to Islam to avoid severe taxes imposed by the Turks in retaliation for uprisings and continued resistance. Many Serbs migrated with their hierarchs to Habsburg Monarchy where they had been granted autonomy. The seat of the archbishops was moved from Peć to Karlovci. The new Serbian Metropolitanate of Karlovci became a patriarchate in 1848.

The church's close association with Serbian resistance to Ottoman rule led to Serbian Orthodoxy becoming inextricably linked with Serbian national identity and the new Serbian monarchy that emerged from 1815 onwards. The Serbian Orthodox Church in Serbia finally regained its independence and became autocephalous in 1879, the year after the recognition by the Great Powers of Serbia as an independent state. This church was known as the Metropolitanate of Belgrade, thus in the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, two separate Serbian Orthodox churches existed - the Patriarchate of Karlovci in the Habsburg Monarchy and the Metropolitanate of Belgrade in the Kingdom of Serbia.

Serbia and Yugoslavia

File:HramSvetogSave.jpg
The Temple of Saint Sava, the largest Orthodox church in the world.

After World War I all the Orthodox Serbs were united under one ecclesiastical authority, and two Serbian churches were united into the single Patriarchate of Serbia in 1920 with the election of Patriarch Dimitry. It gained great political and social influence in the inter-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia, during which time it successfully campaigned against the Yugoslav government's intentions of signing a concordat with the Vatican.

During the Second World War the Serbian Orthodox Church suffered severely from persecutions by the occupying powers and the rabidly anti-Serbian Ustaše regime of Croatia, which sought to create a "Croatian Orthodox Church" which Orthodox Serbs were forced to join. Several hundred thousand Serbs were killed during the war; bishops and priests of the Serbian Orthodox Church were singled out for persecution, and many Orthodox churches were damaged or destroyed.

After the war the Church was suppressed by the Communist government of Josip Broz Tito, which viewed it with suspicion due to the Church's links with the exiled Serbian monarchy and the nationalist Chetnik movement. Along with other ecclesiastical institutions of all denominations, the Church was subject to strict controls by the Yugoslav state, which prohibited the teaching of religion in schools, confiscated Church property and discouraged religious activity among the population.

The gradual demise of Yugoslav communism and the rise of rival nationalist movements during the 1980s also led to a marked religious revival throughout Yugoslavia, not least in Serbia. The Serbian Patriarch, Pavle, supported the opposition to Slobodan Milošević in the 1990s.

The Macedonian Orthodox Church was created by the Yugoslav authorities in 1967, effectively as an offshoot of the Serbian Orthodox Church in what was then the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, as part of the Yugoslav drive to build up a Macedonian national identity. This was strongly resisted by the Serbian Church, which does not recognise the independence of its Macedonian counterpart. Campaigns for an independent Montenegrin Orthodox Church have also gained ground in recent years.

Yugoslav wars

The Yugoslav wars gravely impacted several branches of the Serb Orthodox Church.

Many churches in Croatia were damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the war in that country in 1991. The bishops and priests and most faithful of the eparchies of Zagreb, of Karlovac, of Slavonia and of Dalmatia became refugees. The latter three were almost completely abandoned after the exodus of the Serbs from Croatia in 1995. The eparchy of Dalmatia also had its see temporarily moved to Knin after the Republic of Serbian Krajina was established. The eparchy of Slavonia had its see moved from Pakrac to Daruvar. After Operation Storm, two monasteries were particularly damaged:

The eparchies of Bihać-Petrovac, Dabar-Bosnia and Zvornik-Tuzla were also dislocated due to the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The eparchy see of Dabar-Bosnia was temporarily moved to Sokolac, and the see of Zvornik-Tuzla to Bijeljina. Over a hundred Church-owned objects in the Zvornik-Tuzla eparchy were destroyed or damaged during the war. Many monasteries and churches in the Zahumlje eparchy were also destroyed. Numerous faithful from these eparchies also became refugees.

By 1998 the situation had stabilized in both countries. Most of the property of the Serb Orthodox Church was returned to normal use, the bishops and priests returned, and that which was destroyed, damaged or vandalized was restored. The process of rebuilding several churches is still under way, notably the cathedral of the Eparchy of Upper Karlovac in Karlovac. The return of the SOC faithful also started, but they are not nearly close to their pre-war numbers, as of 2004.

During the wars in the middle-90's, some people from the Serbian Orthodox Church supported the unification of all lands inhabited mostly by Serbs into one state[1]

Kosovo

Due to the Kosovo War, after 1999 numerous Serbian Orthodox holy sites in the province were left occupied only by clergy.

During the 2004 unrest in Kosovo, about 300 Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were damaged or destroyed.

The preservation and maintenance of the Church properties in Kosovo has been one of the issues considered in the process of resolving of the Constitutional status of Kosovo.

Structure

Metropolitanate See Country Cathedral Founded
Belgrade[2]
(Metropolitan of Belgrade-Sremski Karlovci) 		Belgrade Serbia Cathedral Church of Saint Michael the Archangel 1920 (reestablished)
Dabar-Bosnia
(Metropolitan of Dabar-Bosnia) 		Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina Nativity of the Mother of God Cathedral 1219
Montenegro and the Littoral
(Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral) 		Cetinje Montenegro Ostrog Monastery 1219
Midwestern America
(Metropolitan of Midwestern America) 		Chicago United States St. Sava Monastery 1920
Zagreb and Ljubljana
(Metropolitan of Zagreb, Ljubljana and All Italy) 		Zagreb Croatia, Slovenia and all of Italy
New Gračanica, U.S. and Canada
(Bishop of U.S. and Canada) 		Third Lake, IL United States and Canada Most Holy Mother of God 1963
Diocese See Country Cathedral Founded
Australia and New Zealand
(Bishop of Australia and New Zealand) 		Hall, Australia Australia and Oceania New Kalenić Monastery
Banat
(Bishop of Banat) 		Vršac Serbia
Bačka
(Bishop of Bačka) 		Novi Sad Serbia
Braničevo
(Bishop of Braničevo) 		Požarevac Serbia
Budimlje and Nikšić
(Bishop of Budimlje and Nikšic) 		Berane Montenegro Ðurdevi Stupovi
Banja Luka
(Bishop of Banja Luka) 		Banja Luka Bosnia and Herzegovina The Church of Holy Trinity; The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour)
Bihać and Petrovac
(Bishop of Bihać and Petrovac) 		Bosanski Petrovac Bosnia and Herzegovina
Britain and Scandinavia
(Bishop of Britain and Scandinavia) 		Stockholm Great Britain, Norway, Sweden and Denmark
Buda (Budim)
(Bishop of Buda) 		Sentandreja Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia
Canada
(Bishop of Canada) 		Hamilton, ON Canada St. Nicholas Cathedral
Canada
(Bishop of Canada) 		Mississauga, ON Canada St. Sava
Central Europe
(Bishop of Central Europe) 		Himmelstühr Germany, Austria, and Switzerland Himmelstühr monastery
Dalmatia
(Bishop of Dalmatia) 		Šibenik Croatia
Eastern America
(Bishop of Eastern America) 		Pittsburgh, PA United States Holy Trinity Cathedral
Mileševa
(Bishop of Mileševa) 		Mileševa Serbia Mileševa monastery (Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ)
Niš
(Bishop of Niš) 		Niš Serbia
Osječko polje and Baranja
(Bishop of Osječko polje and Baranja) 		Dalj Croatia
Ras and Prizren
(Bishop of Ras and Prizren) 		Prizren Serbia (Kosovo province)
Šabac
(Bishop of Šabac) 		Šabac Serbia
Slavonia
(Bishop of Slavonia) 		Daruvar Croatia
Srem
(Bishop of Srem) 		Sremski Karlovci Serbia St. Demetrius Cathedral
Šumadija
(Bishop of Šumadija) 		Kragujevac Serbia
Timişoara
(Bishop of Timişoara) 		Timişoara Romania
Timok
(Bishop of Timok) 		Zajecar Serbia
Upper Karlovac
(Bishop of upper Karlovac) 		Karlovac Croatia
Valjevo
(Bishop of Valjevo) 		Valjevo Serbia 2006
Vranje
(Bishop of Vranje) 		Vranje Serbia
Western America
(Bishop of Western America) 		Alhambra, CA United States St. Steven's Cathedral
Western Europe
(Bishop of Western Europe) 		Paris France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Spain
Zahumlje and Herzegovina
(Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina) 		Trebinje Bosnia and Herzegovina Monastery Tvrdoš
Žiča
(Bishop of Žiča) 		Kraljevo Serbia Monastery Žiča
Zvornik and Tuzla
(Bishop of Zvornik and Tuzla) 		Tuzla Bosnia and Herzegovina
Autonomous Archdiocese See Country Cathedral Founded
Ohrid
(Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skoplje) 		Ohrid Republic of Macedonia 1064

Dioceses are further divided into episcopal deaneries, each consisting of several church congregations and parishes. Church congregations consist of one or more parishes. A parish is the smallest Church unit - a communion of Orthodox faithful congregating at the Holy Eucharist with the parish priest at their head.

Holy Assembly of Bishops

Eparchies of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Serbia

Patriarch

Former Yugoslavia and Hungary

Metropolitans

Bishops

Republic of Macedonia

The Orthodox Archdiocese of Ohrid

Diaspora

Bishops

+Bishop of Western America Maksim

Architecture of Churches

File:ChurchDrven.jpg
wooden church in Drven Grad

Wooden Church

The original style of Serbian Orthodox Church was the church built out of wood. This church built in Drven Grad, which means "Wood City", is a classic example of a wooden church. As the church is made purely of wood. These churches were typically found in poorer villages where it was too expensive to build a church out of stone.

Serbo-Byzantine Style

This is the typical style of churches built. This style of church architecture was developed in the late 13th Century combining Byzantine and Raskan influences to form a new church style.

By the end of 13th and in the first half of 14th century the Serbian state enlarged over Macedonia, Epirus and Thessaly up to the Aegean Sea. On these new territories Serbian art was even more influenced by the Byzantine art tradition.

File:St-mark.jpg
Cathedral of St. Mark in Belgrade is built in Serbo-Byzantine style

Gračanica, which was entirely rebuilt by King Milutin in 1321, is the most beautiful monument of Serbian architecture from the 14th century. The church of this monastery is an example of a construction that achieved the highest degree of architecture not only in the Byzantine form but in the creation of an original and freestyle exceeding its models. The wall creation in steps is one of the basic characteristics of this temple. The Kings's Church in Studenica, characterized as an ideal church, was built in the first decades of the 14th century.

File:Kralja-Petra-exterior.jpg
The Cathedral Church in Belgrade

By the end of the third decade of the 14th century the Pec Patriarchate had finally been shaped. The exterior of the Patriarchate is a vision of shapes characteristic of contemporary Serbian architecture. On the major part of the outer walls paint decoration was used instead of stone relief and brick and stone decoration.

A typical Serbo-Byzantine church has a rectangular foundation, with a major dome in the center with smaller domes around the center one. The inside of the church is covered with frescos that illustrate various biblical stories and portrays Serbian saints.

Western Influences

During the 17th Century many of the Serbian Orthodox Churches that were built in Belgrade took all the characteristics of baroque churches built in the Austrian occupied regions where Serbs lived. The churches usually had a bell tower, and a single nave building with the iconostasis inside the church covered with Renaissance-style paintings. These churches can be found in Belgrade, which was occupied by the Austrian Empire from 1717 to 1738, and on the border with Austrian (later Austro-Hungarian empire) across the Sava and Danube rivers from 1804 when Serbian statehood was re-established.

Icons

File:Kralja-Petra-altar.jpg
Iconostasis of the Cathedral Church in Belgrade

Icons are replete with symbolism meant to convey far more meaning than simply the identity of the person depicted, and it is for this reason that Orthodox iconography has become an exacting science of copying older icons rather than an opportunity for artistic expression. The Orthodox believe that the first icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary were painted by Luke the Evangelist. Orthodox regard their depiction of Christ as accurate, with Christ having brown semi-curly hair, brown eyes, and Semitic features (the Virgin Mary being similar). The personal, idiosyncratic and creative traditions of Western European religious art are largely lacking in Orthodox iconography before the 17th century, when Russian icon painting was strongly influenced by religious paintings and engravings from both Protestant and Catholic Europe. Greek icon painting also began to take on a strong romantic western influence for a period and the difference between some Orthodox icons and western religious art began to vanish. More recently there has been a strong trend of returning to the more traditional and symbolic representations.

"A Portrait of the Evangelist", a miniature from the Radoslav Gospel (1429).

Icons are not considered by the Orthodox to be "graven images" or idols, and prohibitions against three-dimensional statuary are still in place. Biblical prohibitions against material depictions have been altered by Christ (as God) taking on material form. Also, it is not the wood or paint that are venerated, but rather God is through the individual (or event) portrayed.

Large icons can be found adorning the walls of churches and often cover the inside structure completely. Orthodox homes often likewise have icons hanging on the wall, usually together on an eastern facing wall, and in a central location where the family can pray together.

Icons are often illuminated with a candle or oil lamp. (Beeswax for candles and olive oil for lamps are preferred because they are natural and burn cleanly.) Besides the practical purpose of making icons visible in an otherwise dark church, both candles and oil lamps symbolize the Light of the World which is Christ.

Tales of miraculous icons that moved, spoke, cried, bled, or gushed fragrant myrrh are not uncommon, though it has always been considered that the message of such an event was for the immediate faithful involved and therefore does not usually attract crowds. Some miraculous icons whose reputations span long periods of time nevertheless become objects of pilgrimage along with the places where they are kept.

See also

Autocephalous Orthodox Churches

Footnotes

  1. ^ Support for Greater Serbia - Serbian Orthodox Church
  2. ^ Official known as the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Sremski Karlovci, encompasses only the Belgrade area. The Title of Sremski Karlovci is in reference to the old Serbian Metropolitanate of Karlovci. Also this diocese is headed by the Patriarch.

References

Dioceses


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